Anat Biol Anthropol.  2023 Jun;36(2):67-76. 10.11637/aba.2023.36.2.67.

Anatomical Landmarks Used for Post-mortem Investigation Records Described in Jeungsu Muwonrok Eonhae of Joseon Dynasty Period

• Yun YH
• Shin DH
• Hong S
• Hong SJ
• Lee SD
• Ki HC
• Kim CY

• KMID: 2549041
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.11637/aba.2023.36.2.67

Abstract

Jeungsu Muwonrok greatly influenced the establishment of traditional forensic investigation techniques in pre-modern East Asian countries. Joseon period documents based on Muwonrok are called Geoman, which includes the post-mortem investigation records and interrogation report that questioned those involved in the incident. By reviewing the contents of this document from a medical perspective, we could obtain important information related to the death of the deceased and the circumstances occurring at the time of the incident. However, the lack of anatomical review of the terminologies referring to each part of the human body has been a major obstacle to the accurate understanding of the document. In this study, it is therefore intended to help researchers conducting research on the post-mortem investigation records of Joseon Dynasty by accurately estimating the exact anatomical location of human body parts described in them. As a result of the review, it is not difficult to convert the names of each body part in the post-mortem document into modern anatomical terms. However, it is also true that anatomical positions at the head part were ambiguous, so a more thorough review was required for them. The information obtained in this report is expected to enable a more accurate understanding of the criminal scenes described in Joseon period postmortem investigation records.

Keyword

Geoman; Muwonrok; Forensic medicine; Anatomy; Post-mortem investigation record; Joseon Dynasty